Culture Vulture + Africa

Whichever route you take to reach this year's Lake of Stars festival in Malawi, the third annual undertaking of Liverpool club promoter Will Jameson, it's a tough slog, writes Marc Rowlands. The four-hour drive from Lilongwe, the airport into which most of the British attendees have flown, is uncomfortably hot. But many of the Malawian musicians have it far worse, having driven nine hours from Blantyre in the south. It puts British festival moans about mud, camping and loos into stark relief.

Le Prince Maurice prize for a literary love story has been awarded... presented by a Hollywood star after a week of judging on the tropical island of Mauritius. It's a strange but glorious experience, writes Charlotte Mendelson, who accompanied her partner, shortlisted author Joanna Briscoe, on the most luxurious literary beano in the world.